What is your current research focus and why?
I want to understand the language of DNA. Ultimately, everything in an organism is determined by its DNA sequence, but we know very little about how the 'words' in DNA are interpreted by cellular machinery. I'm discovering which 'words' in the DNA are read out by the cell in order to determine how the DNA should be packaged in the nucleus.

Growing up, what career did you want to pursue?
I was sure I would be a chemical engineer. My dad was a mechanical engineer, and I loved making messes in the kitchen. After one week as a chemical engineer in college, I decided I didn't want to specify pumps for a living, and so I became a chemist.

When and how did you become interested in a career in science?
In ninth grade biology, we did an experiment where we burned steel wool, and measured how much heavier it got. When I saw the conservation of mass in action like that, I was hooked.

What made you decide to join the Zeitlinger lab at the Stowers Institute?
I had finished my Ph.D. studying molecular dynamics of protein-nucleic acid complexes, and Julia had an opening for a postdoc to study the dynamics of the early steps of DNA transcription. On top of that, this job also mixed in one of my other hobbies: machine learning. How could I not apply?